Metafore

Metafore is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable, in order to suggest a similarity or illuminate a concept by analogy. It involves transferring attributes from a source domain to a target domain. The term derives from Greek metaphorá, from meta 'across' and pherein 'to bear' (literally, a carrying across).

Metaphors can be classified by function and usage. A dead metaphor is so entrenched in everyday language that its figurative origin is often forgotten. An extended metaphor develops across a passage or entire work, sustaining a symbolic logic. A mixed metaphor combines incompatible images, sometimes humorously or incoherently. Visual metaphors express a concept through imagery, as when a chart or illustration conveys an abstract idea. Unlike similes, which state comparisons with like or as, metaphors imply the comparison directly.

Uses and significance extend across literature, rhetoric, science communication, and everyday speech. They help convey complex or abstract ideas succinctly and vividly. In cognitive linguistics, conceptual metaphor theory argues that much human thought is structured by metaphorical mappings—for example, treating arguments as battles or journeys as paths. This perspective suggests metaphors shape how people understand and reason about unfamiliar domains by anchoring them to familiar experiences.

See also: metaphor, figure of speech, simile. Examples include "Time is money" and "The mind is a machine."